Florida Vital Records
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Introduction to Vital Records
Vital Records consist of births, adoptions, marriages, divorces, and deaths recorded on registers, certificates, and documents. United States Vital Records has additional research guidance on researching and using vital records. A copy or an extract of most original records can be purchased from the Florida State Department of Health or the County Clerk's office of the county where the event occurred.
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Florida Birth, Marriage and Death Records Online[edit | edit source]
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The following is a list of online resources useful for locating Florida Vital Records which consist of births, adoptions, marriages, divorces, and deaths. Most online resources for Florida Vital Records are indexes. After locating a person in an index always consult the original record to confirm the information in the index.
- Florida Databases- Free
- USGenWeb.org Florida Site - Free
- Search for Florida Collections at United States at FamilySearch
- The Vital Records Search and Information Directory for Florida - Free/$
- Online Links for Florida Birth & Marriage and Death Records - Free/$
- Linkpendium Links for Florida Genealogy and History, including individual Counties - Free/$
- Search the Florida Birth, Marriage, and Death at Ancestry ($)
- CDC to order Florida Certificates online. It also shows where to write and any restrictions - Free site, but the certificates cost money ($)
- 1970-1999: Florida, Divorces, 1970-1999 at MyHeritage ($)
Birth Records[edit | edit source]
early - 1899
The Family History Library has copies of original birth and death records for some counties of Florida as well as an extensive collection of delayed birth records dating to the 1860s. For example, there are 22 microfilms of delayed birth records for Leon County, 1874 to 1948, and two films of Pensacola birth and death records, 1891 to 1910.
1899 - present
Statewide registration of births and deaths began in 1899 and was generally complied with by 1920. Some earlier city and county records have been deposited with the state office. They include incomplete records of births from 1865 to 1917 and incomplete records of deaths from 1877 to 1917.
A digital index at FamilySearch is:
- 1880-1935 Florida Births and Christenings, 1880-1935 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection
State records are closed to the general public. Conditions for obtaining a record may be obtained from the Office of Vital Statistics.
- Bureau of Vital Statistics
Attn: Vital Records Section
P.O. Box 210
Jacksonville, FL 32231-0042
Telephone: 904-359-6900
Fax: 904-359-6931
Internet: Florida Bureau of Vital Statistics
| Types of Information | early - 1899 | 1899 - present |
| Name of Child | X | X |
| Sex | X | X |
| Race | X | X |
| Parents' Names | X | X |
| Midwife/Doctor | X | |
| Date & Place of Birth | X | X |
| Residence | X |
Marriage Records[edit | edit source]
Statewide registration of marriages began in June 1927.
Marriage records have been kept by each county, usually from the date the county was created. The Family History Library has a large collection of county marriage records. For example, the marriage licenses of the county judge for Hillsborough County are on 93 microfilms for the years 1849 to 1951, 1853 to 1927, and 1940 to 1956, with an index for 1846 to 1980.
- United States Marriages – Florida, 1802-1998 at Findmypast ($) index and images
- Florida, County Marriages, 1823-1982 at Ancestry; index and images ($)
- 1830-1993 Florida Marriages, 1830-1993 at FamilySearch; index and images — How to Use this Collection
- 1929-1954 Florida, County Marriages, 1830-1957 at FamilySearch; index and images — How to Use this Collection
- 1970-1999: Florida, Marriages, 1970-1999 at MyHeritage ($)
- 1837-1974 Florida, Marriages, 1837-1974 at FamilySearch; index — How to Use this Collection
Florida Combined Marriage Index,1927-1969. [1]These records are in the Office of Vital Statistics.
| Types of Information | early - 1927 | 1927 - present |
| Name of Bride/Groom | X | X |
| Date of Marriage | X | X |
| Location of Marriage | X | X |
| Presiding Official | X | X |
| Date of Birth | ||
| Place of Birth | X | |
| Residence at Time of Marriage | X |
X |
Divorce Records[edit | edit source]
Records of divorce proceedings are kept by the clerk of the circuit court in each county. You can write to the clerk for records up to June 1927. For records since then, write to the Office of Vital Statistics.
The Family History Library has 305 microfiche of the Florida Combined Divorce and Annulment Index, 1927-1969. [2]
- 1927-2001 Florida, Divorce Index, 1927-2001 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection
Death Records[edit | edit source]
early - 1917
The Family History Library has copies of original birth and death records for some counties of Florida.
Statewide registration of births and deaths began in 1899 and was generally complied with by 1920. Some earlier city and county records have been deposited with the state office. They include incomplete records of deaths from 1877 to 1917 and incomplete records of births from 1865 to 1917.
1917 to Present
State records are closed to the general public. Conditions for obtaining a record may be obtained from the Bureau of Vital Statistics.
- 1877-1998 Florida, Death Index, 1877-1998 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection
- 1877-1939 Florida Deaths, 1877-1939 at FamilySearch; index — How to Use this Collection
- 1900-1921 Florida Deaths and Burials, 1900-1921 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection
The Family History Library has 143 microfiche of the Florida Combined Death Index, 1877-1969. [3] You can obtain copies of the state's records by writing to:
- Bureau of Vital Statistics
Attn: Vital Records Section
P.O. Box 210
Jacksonville, FL 32231-0042
Telephone: 904-359-6900
Fax: 904-359-6931
Internet: Florida Bureau of Vital Statistics
An explanation of the history and availability of vital records is in Guide to Public Vital Statistics Records in Florida.[4]
Fetal Deaths
Parents, legal representative or court order may request a copy of a "Certificate of Birth Resulting in a Stillbirth." Anyone may apply for a copy of a "Fetal Death Certificate," however, only cause of death will be issued after 50 years unless you are the parent.[5]
| Types of Information |
before - 1917 |
1917 - present |
| Name of Deceased |
X |
X |
| Date of Death | X | X |
| Place of Death | X | X |
| Date of Birth/Age | X |
X |
| Place of Birth | X |
X |
| Place of Burial | X | |
| Parents' Names/Maiden | X |
X |
| Occupation of Deceased | X | |
|
Marital Status |
X |
X |
Cause of Death[edit | edit source]
- Causes of Death - use this resource when trying to interpret a disease or medical condition listed on a death record or certificate
Lost, Missing or Fragmented Records[edit | edit source]
When there is record loss, usually there is an attempt to reconstruct some of the records. For losses in county records, check if state records have a copy. For losses in the state records, check if the appropriate county has a copy. If neither have a copy, check the Substitute Records below.
Counties with record loss:
Santa Rosa (1869) and Wakulla (1896)
Substitute Records[edit | edit source]
- Florida Church Records
- Florida Cemetery Records
- Florida Census Records
- Florida History
- Florida Military Records
- Florida Newspapers
- Florida Obituaries
- Florida Periodicals
Tips[edit | edit source]
- Information listed on vital records is given by an informant. Learn the relationship of the informant to the subject(s) of the record. The closer the relationship of the informant to the subject(s) and whether or not the informant was present at the time ot the event can help determine the accuracy of the information found on the record.
- If you are unable to locate vital records recorded by governments, search for church records for christening, marriage, death or burial. A family Bible may have been used to record births, marriages and death.
- Records for African Americans are often recorded in separate files with separate indexes.
- Privacy laws may restrict your access to some vital records. Copies of some vital records recorded in the last 100 years may be unavailable to anyone except a direct relative.
- Search for Vital Records in the FamilySearch Catalog by using a Place Search. Search for Florida to locate records filed by the state and then search the name of the county to locate records kept by the county.
Archives, Libraries and Societies[edit | edit source]
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ Family History Library microfiche FHL 6081726film numbers 6081726-68.
- ↑ Family History Library microfiche FHL 6081683 film numbers 6081683-725.
- ↑ Family History Library microfiche FHL 6081769
- ↑ Jacksonville, Florida: Florida Historical Records Survey, 1941; Family History Library book 975.9 A5h; microfilm 1036590 item 3; microfiche 6019962.
- ↑ “United States Fetal Death Records,” Lake Superior Roots, v 29, no 2. (Marquette, Michigan: Marquette County Genealogical Society, 2016), 11.
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